Timmins’ francophone community is a step closer to rebuilding its community centre.
The design for the new Centre Culturel La Ronde building was unveiled at the group’s annual general meeting Tuesday, Nov. 5. The organization also launched a new website, where donations to the building fund can be made via e-transfer.
“This is very exciting. It’s almost surreal,” said Lisa Bertrand, executive director of Centre Culturel La Ronde. “I feel very honoured to be part of this project.
“We’ve been working very, very hard for the last four months with J.L. Richards, who have just been an amazing company, the architectural company that’s been helping us with the design. It’s really amazing to see the new design come out.
“And with our new website, we hope to get things moving in the French community.”
The organization is looking to build a new 12,000-square-foot building on the site of its former facility at the corner of Mountjoy and Algonquin Boulevard. The previous building suffered irreparable damage in a 2015 fire and was demolished in 2017.
The total cost of the project in an estimated $6.6 million. La Ronde will get all the funds in place prior to breaking ground.
“We’re still waiting on funding from both governments (federal and provincial), so we’re going to start our fundraising,” said Ernest Plante, president for Centre Culturel La Ronde. “Of course, our goal is to start digging in April. But we’re not going to build unless we have all the funding in place. We’re not going to get a mortgage
“If we start in April, we hope it to be an eight- to nine-month project. So, our goal is to be moving into our new building in February 2021.”
There is about $3 million needed for the project.
“The funding we received in May was to help with the design plan,” Plante said. “We’ve been working closely with J.L. Richards to move the project forward.
“We still have requests out there for more funding. We’re hoping to get an answer soon. We’re hoping that the community will come forward and help us with the fundraising.”
The new centre will have many of the same features as the old La Ronde building.
“We’ll still have the bar, L’Armise,” he said. “And, of course, the big hall. It’s going to be divided into three so we can be a multi-use facility.
A sign featuring the new design will be erected on the building site.
For more information about the fundraising campaign or to make a donation online, visit the website for La Ronde Culturel Centre online.
